Sunday, February 20, 2005

BC Liberals launch damage control in Surrey

Surrey city council is putting forward an emergency resolution at its meeting on Monday night, to pressure the provincial government for more money to expand Surrey Memorial's emergency ward.--------------------------------------------------------

Liberals desperate to save some Surrey seats

Liberal MLA Tony Bhuller calls for an external investigation into the latest death at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Last Thursday in the B.C. Legislature, Surrey-Panorama Ridge NDP MLA Jagrup Brar raised the matter of the untimely death of Baljit Bains.

Bains died after spending two days in emergency at Surrey Memorial. Mr. Bains death is the latest development in what has been a bad year for the hospital. In December, 2004 an external inquiry by Dr. Doug Cochrane, chair of B.C. Patient Safety Task Force into post-caesarean section wound infection rates and emergency room management after nine women suffered high rates of infection was begun.

Haveyou hadenoughyet reminds us the B.C. Coroner's Service [found] the hospital shared blame in the death of Frank Brander, a cancer patient who died in 2003 in an unattended holding cell after three security guards physically restrained him.

The Medical Director of Surrey Memorial Hospital concedes his hospital has issues with too many patients.

Update 1

Surrey NDP MLA Brar, speaking to the Surrey Leader on budget and what's needed at Surrey Memorial stated, " the budget should have specifically addressed wait times in hospitals like Surrey Memorial, which he claimed is labouring under "Third World conditions" of overcrowding and delays."